149. A is for Asteroids

152. H is for Hantavirus

Lorien learned a lot of rodent-related facts she doesn't like. She shares them with Katharine. Sources: Sources https://www.instagram.com/p/DYPeDuARj29/ [https://www.instagram.com/p/DYPeDuARj29/]https://www.instagram.com/laurel__bristow/ [https://www.instagram.com/laurel__bristow/]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthohantavirus [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthohantavirus]https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/hantavirus-pulmonary-syndrome/symptoms-diagnosis [https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/hantavirus-pulmonary-syndrome/symptoms-diagnosis]https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/hantavirus-pulmonary-syndrome/treatment [https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/hantavirus-pulmonary-syndrome/treatment]https://www.nmhealth.org/publication/view/general/5072/ [https://www.nmhealth.org/publication/view/general/5072/]https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/data-research/cases/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/surveillance/index.html [https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/data-research/cases/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/surveillance/index.html]https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/media/pdfs/2025/01/HantavirusBrochure-508.pdf [https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/media/pdfs/2025/01/HantavirusBrochure-508.pdf]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andes_virus [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andes_virus]https://thepreamble.com/p/the-daily-brief-may-15-2026 [https://thepreamble.com/p/the-daily-brief-may-15-2026]https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/about/andesvirus.html [https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/about/andesvirus.html]https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/14/health/hantavirus-outbreak-quarantine.html [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/14/health/hantavirus-outbreak-quarantine.html]https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/14/cdc-no-us-hantavirus-cases-people-monitored.html [https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/14/cdc-no-us-hantavirus-cases-people-monitored.html] https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/14/hantavirus-cruise-ship-outbreak-where-is-it-what-to-know.html [https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/14/hantavirus-cruise-ship-outbreak-where-is-it-what-to-know.html]

151. M is for the Manosphere

A Katharine classic! Sources: -       https://www.merriam-webster.com/slang/manosphere [https://www.merriam-webster.com/slang/manosphere] -    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manosphere#:~:text=The%20manosphere%20is%20a%20varied%20collection%20of,that%20feminists%20promote%20misandry%20(hatred%20of%20men) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manosphere#:~:text=The%20manosphere%20is%20a%20varied%20collection%20of,that%20feminists%20promote%20misandry%20(hatred%20of%20men)].  -       https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2026/03/world/expose-rape-assault-online-vis-intl/index.html [https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2026/03/world/expose-rape-assault-online-vis-intl/index.html] -       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamergate [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamergate] -       https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-64125045 [https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-64125045] -       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Tate [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Tate] -       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Enlightenment [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Enlightenment] -       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men_Going_Their_Own_Way [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men_Going_Their_Own_Way] -       https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/aug/26/men-going-their-own-way-the-toxic-male-separatist-movement-that-is-now-mainstream [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/aug/26/men-going-their-own-way-the-toxic-male-separatist-movement-that-is-now-mainstream] -       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickup_artist [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickup_artist] -       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_rights_movement [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men%27s_rights_movement] -       Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere, 2026, Netflix.

150. M is for Mushrooms

Lorien tells Katharine about mystery mushrooms, magic mushrooms, and mushroom foraging (and reveals that the hunter/gatherer gene skipped her). Sources * https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a70698051/mushroom-bizarre-hallucination/ [https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a70698051/mushroom-bizarre-hallucination/] * https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260121-the-mysterious-mushroom-that-makes-you-see-tiny-people [https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260121-the-mysterious-mushroom-that-makes-you-see-tiny-people] * https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/Psilocybin-2020.pdf [https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/Psilocybin-2020.pdf] * https://calpoison.org/about-magic-mushrooms-psilocybin-safety * https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/308850#summary [https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/308850#summary] * https://attheu.utah.edu/facultystaff/psychoactive-psilocybins-evolution-in-magic-mushrooms/ [https://attheu.utah.edu/facultystaff/psychoactive-psilocybins-evolution-in-magic-mushrooms/] * https://www.beckleyretreats.com/blog/types-of-psychedelic-mushrooms [https://www.beckleyretreats.com/blog/types-of-psychedelic-mushrooms] * https://food52.com/story/6306-eugenia-bone-on-mushrooms-myths-and-foraging [https://food52.com/story/6306-eugenia-bone-on-mushrooms-myths-and-foraging] * https://food52.com/story/20860-an-illustrated-guide-to-mushroom-foraging-10-earthy-savory-recipes [https://food52.com/story/20860-an-illustrated-guide-to-mushroom-foraging-10-earthy-savory-recipes] * https://food52.com/story/20860-an-illustrated-guide-to-mushroom-foraging-10-earthy-savory-recipes [https://food52.com/story/20860-an-illustrated-guide-to-mushroom-foraging-10-earthy-savory-recipes] * https://barebonesliving.com/blogs/gardening-foraging/foraging-for-mushrooms-a-complete-guide?srsltid=AfmBOoojEexVoJOsvnKbJRLZO04G53F-0SldhYROYYivS88zdLBz3qVQ [https://barebonesliving.com/blogs/gardening-foraging/foraging-for-mushrooms-a-complete-guide?srsltid=AfmBOoojEexVoJOsvnKbJRLZO04G53F-0SldhYROYYivS88zdLBz3qVQ] * https://melissaknorris.com/podcast/5rulesforforagingwildedibles/?srsltid=AfmBOood16NZQUcHRepd1lL60a10Pk1P8mc3Cm2j0wkz7qpHMTW6x4Mk [https://melissaknorris.com/podcast/5rulesforforagingwildedibles/?srsltid=AfmBOood16NZQUcHRepd1lL60a10Pk1P8mc3Cm2j0wkz7qpHMTW6x4Mk] * https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/how-to-hunt-mushrooms/ [https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/how-to-hunt-mushrooms/] * https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/02/deadly-mushroom-arrives-canada/581602/ [https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/02/deadly-mushroom-arrives-canada/581602/] * https://www.npr.org/2025/12/10/nx-s1-5639775/death-cap-mushrooms-california [https://www.npr.org/2025/12/10/nx-s1-5639775/death-cap-mushrooms-california] * https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/four-dead-and-three-receive-liver-transplants-after-eating-death-cap-mushrooms-in-california [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/four-dead-and-three-receive-liver-transplants-after-eating-death-cap-mushrooms-in-california] * https://www.npr.org/2025/07/07/nx-s1-5451735/erin-patterson-mushroom-murder-sentence

149. A is for Asteroids

Like much of the country of late, Katharine has space on the brain. Sources: * https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-an-asteroid-caused-extinction-of-dinosaurs.html [https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-an-asteroid-caused-extinction-of-dinosaurs.html] * https://today.ucsd.edu/story/an-asteroid-doesnt-have-to-hit-earth-to-cause-catastrophe [https://today.ucsd.edu/story/an-asteroid-doesnt-have-to-hit-earth-to-cause-catastrophe]  * https://www.space.com/astronomy/asteroids/the-powerful-new-rubin-observatory-just-found-11-000-new-asteroids-and-measured-tens-of-thousands-more [https://www.space.com/astronomy/asteroids/the-powerful-new-rubin-observatory-just-found-11-000-new-asteroids-and-measured-tens-of-thousands-more] * https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/asteroids/ [https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/asteroids/] * https://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/natural-disasters/asteroid-hits-earth.htm [https://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/natural-disasters/asteroid-hits-earth.htm] * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelyabinsk_meteor [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelyabinsk_meteor] * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event] * https://www.esa.int/About_Us/50_years_of_ESA/Asteroids_The_discovery_of_asteroids [https://www.esa.int/About_Us/50_years_of_ESA/Asteroids_The_discovery_of_asteroids] * https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/meteors-meteorites/facts/ [https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/meteors-meteorites/facts/] * https://www2.tulane.edu/~sanelson/Natural_Disasters/impacts.htm [https://www2.tulane.edu/~sanelson/Natural_Disasters/impacts.htm] * https://www.planetary.org/articles/how-astronomers-rank-dangerous-asteroids-and-what-that-means-for-you [https://www.planetary.org/articles/how-astronomers-rank-dangerous-asteroids-and-what-that-means-for-you]

148. A is for Alpine Divorce

Lorien has discovered another reason not to go hiking. Also, Lorien says she's not going to give away the ending to a 130-year-old short story and then immediately does, so spoiler alert, we guess.